Houndmouth - From the Hills Below the City

Label: Rough Trade
Year: 2013
Genre: Alt Country, Americana, Folk Rock
Recommending Person: Todd Tompkins

I wish this was what country was all the time. It's a bit of southern rock, some folk rock, some kick ass guitar licks, and a story. 

It seems more of a testament to country than any of the current pop country phenomena going on throughout the scene currently. They still sing with the familiar country affectation, but it seems more natural and reminds me of the great The Band. Mighty praise for a band I hadn't yet heard before this journey. 

I hope they get huge. Bigger than big. Because then country will lean towards this fantastic sound and I want more of it.
 

Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers - Gift Horse

Label: Vanguard
Year: 2011
Genre: Americana, Folk Rock
Recommending Person: Sarah Ward

Did you need a band sounding like John Cougar Mellencamp in 2011? If you did then Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers are the band for you. While Stephen Kellogg is definitely the stronger songwriter the music sounds dated even though it was released less than 4 years ago. 

The song "1993" could have come out
on Mellencamp's American Fool or Uh Huh between "Pink Houses" and "Crumblin' Down". It may be that Heartland or Americana are genres that do not suit me, but they seem to praise the stories of the uninteresting. I'd much rather listen to anything from Billy Joel than the SK6ers, fun nickname I must admit, or John Mellencamp.
 

David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars

Label: RCA
Year: 1972
Genre: Glam Rock, Art Rock
Recommending Person: Jeff Sherry

This is just a fantastic piece of rock music. The glam rock era is one I've rarely investigated even though it was influence for the influential bands of my generation. 

Ziggy Stardust is a persona that David Bowie created to tell his rock opera of bi-sexual rock star who was used as the communicator for extra-terrestrial beings. You know that old ditty.

Even though I lacked the ability of being alive during the release of this album, I imagine that the questionable sexuality of David Bowie himself led to confusion and intrigue into the album. However, the album was not a stunt and is easily his most celebrated work. 

The actual story kind of falls apart. That's okay because this has album contains "Suffragette City", "Ziggy Stardust", "Rock 'n Roll Suicide", and "Starman"! It's great, but David Bowie's best song is still "Changes".

Thursday - No Devolución

Label: Epitaph
Year: 2011
Genre: Emo
Recommending Person: Brent N.

Is this what happens when bands stagnate? The music is crisp and strong, but the message seems to stay the same as the first Thursday album I had heard in 2001. Understanding in a Car Crash was one of the those tracks that led me to a full on Emo binge.

I have since moved on from the genre, although I still visit the songs I love occasionally, Thursday seems to have stayed in their lane. While this is a smart move for the majority of bands it leads me to wanting more. I think Brand New has done an excellent job in evolving where I didn't feel that way about this particular Thursday lbum.

Ed Sheeran - x (multiply)

Label: Asylum
Year: 2014
Genre: Pop
Recommending Person: Jeanne Haut

Anyone who's album cover is a giant X and in print wants it to be "x" and pronounced multiply is a bit up their own ass. A person who does this and releases a straight out and out pop album is an insane person. As I have come to assume about the British Justin Timberlake.

Ed Sheeran doesn't use Timberlake so much as a muse as he does as a crutch and a copy. The music is good, but it's Timberlake's music that is covered by Sheeran. Pharrell produced "Sing" that Sheeran admits is him trying to have JT's sound, is probably the best song on the album. It is not the lone track that just sounds like FutureSex/LoveSongs. Maybe that title is where Sheeran pulled the ridiculous name. 

I don't hate the album. It's a pop album and delivers on catchy hits and is not irritating in anyway. I think I just have a distaste for Ed Sheeran from last year while watching a movie a day AMC would play "I See Fire" on a practical repeat. From that moment on Sheeran's angelic voice seems nothing more than grating.

Pixies - Doolittle

Label: 4AD
Year: 1989
Genre: Alternative Rock
Recommending Person: Alura Henry

This is one of my favorite albums. I believe I got into in college because the GOAT soundtrack of NCAA 06 Football had "Debaser" on it. I also was playing a lot of guitar hero at the time and "Wave of Mutilation" made a definite impact.

Is "Tame" a bad song? Yes, yes it is. But the rest of the album is unbelievable consistent and has a song for every single emotion. You can put the album on and put on a different song depending on what mood you want to re-enforce. It is funny to believe that many people believe this was the darkest and hardest people could play. 

Fun Fact: If I ever get married I'm going to walk down the aisle to "Here Comes Your Man", but just the ending chorus. Because I'm sure it will feel like an eternity.

“There is a wait so long,
You’ll never wait so long
Here comes your man
There is a wait so long
You’ll never wait so long
Here comes your man”

— Here Comes Your Man

Craving - February

Label: ??? (Self-Released)
Year: 2006
Genre: Indie Rock
Recommending Person: Sarah "Effing" Sherry

The first band I have not found any sort of information on. They are not the German metal band currently traveling all across Europe. They are the a Band that seems to only have one album and can easily be found in iTunes or Google Play but is impossible to find anything on the internet with a ten minute google search.

This reminds me, I went to high school during the peak of downloading all the music with out paying a single cent from it. It was before iTunes made it easy to buy music, and before anyone in the music industry really understood that people are willing to pay they just need to be able to get the music easily. Anyways, there was an emo band called Finding Westerly with a song I believe to be called "The Ballad of Brodie and Renee", I can't be sure because titles and bands were often incorrect. The most famous example of that Country version of Gin & Juice was attributed to about 6-10 different bands. All I am now convinced are incorrect.

The songs are melodic, the musicianship is solid, the general catchiness is palpable, but it doesn't quite grab and pull me all the way in. "Marie Laveau" is a solid song that I could see many bands covering successfully.

Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West

Label: Up
Year: 1997
Genre: Indie Rock, Experimental Rock
Recommending Person: Ryan Sullivan

I like Modest Mouse. I understand others are not the biggest fans of them. The lead singer has an affected voice that sounds like a whinier Violent Femmes lead singer, that's hard to do.

This album is an example of why people dislike the band. There is no great melody throughout the album, it's a disjointed way to get his thoughts out into the world. The lyrics themselves are pretty enjoyable, if a bit angsty, but the mechanism to get them to your ears are a bit disappointing. I like their debut album and later albums much more than this individual album. The record reads better as a poetry book than as a piece of music. I will perform it at a poetry slam.

Frank Zappa - Joe's Garage

Label: Zappa Records
Year: 1979
Genre: Rock Opera
Recommending Person: Ralph Brendler

So, even though this did not establish if it were all three acts of Joe's Garage, I took it as such. 

I cannot review this with a short entry. However, that's all I have. Joe's Garage is as weird as Frank Zappa.

I'm going to speak just about the Album cover. Why is he in black face? Could other artists, besides Al Jolson, get away with being in black face. Can you imagine if Jack White released a rock opera and his cover was himself in black face? Twitter would explode and no one would accept, well yeah, he's weird. 

I have to say I love, "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee". It's like an unreleased Weird Al song that he decided not to release because it doesn't fit his brand.

The Lawrence Arms - Apathy and Exhaustion

Label: Fat Wreck Chords
Year: 2002
Genre: Punk Rock
Recommending Person: Abe Martinez

Lawrence Arms is the epitome of the Chicago punk movement. They were before the full emo trip that Alkaline Trio put on track that took over my entire high school career. 

This individual album is pretty fun and not as heavy as I was originally expecting coming in. The use of Pat Hughes in the intro track, "Porno and Snuff Films", is a big plus for me. The singing in this band is much better than the others in the Chicago scene, minus The Smoking Popes. It reminds me of a punk version of Blink 182. They still have the melodic rhythm guitar leading the song with the drums turned up and sped up.  However, they do not have the repetitive catchy hooks. The chorus is a bit more convoluted and important, just lacking the harmonies that Blink captured. It's better this way.

Ned's Atomic Dustbin - God Fodder

Label: Columbia
Year: 1991
Genre: Alternative Rock
Recommending Person: Paul Conant

I was first made aware of Ned's Atomic Dustbin by the amazing soundtrack on the NCAA Football 06. Maybe the best soundtrack in video game history, right up there with MVP Baseball 05, FIFA 98 Road to the World Cup, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

While "Kill Your Television" is the biggest hit on the album it is not the only enjoyable song on God Fodder. The entire record is full of punk rock goodness I think best exemplified by "Throwing Things". While Trip Shakespeare was over taking by the grunge dominance of 1991, Ned's Atomic Dustbin was huge in the UK and was able to have a fantastic career. 

Fun record, Fun Fact: Carl Winslow is quoted from Die Hard "Why don't you wake up and smell what you've been shoveling!"

Trip Shakespeare - Lulu

Label: A&M
Year: 1991
Genre: Rock
Recommending Person: Melissa, AKA My Sister

This 90s album, that wishes so much to be a band that played at Woodstock or open for the Grateful Dead, shows how many times that current bands take from their inspiration a little too closely to heart.

Unfortunately, Lulu never really caught on as a big seller during the 90s. It came out when Grunge was turning the business on it's head. It was way to poppy, happy, and melodic to succeed in a time when the biggest band in the world had a singer that no one could totally understand. Nirvana's Nevermind just changed the decade and Lulu would never become popular.

The record industry, through no work of their own, now has enough niches that Lulu would easily become a hit today and would be one of the top albums of the year. However, in 1991 you had to be over the top pop or grunge. Lulu was neither and failed because of it.

Every song seems familiar, as if it was in every movie from the early 90s, but has it's own spin. The biggest issue I have about the record is that for no reason what so ever the final track is two and a half minutes of crickets chirping. Now they title it correctly, but I really was waiting for something else. I guess they win.

The Wrens - Meadowlands

Label: Absolutely Kosher
Year: 2003
Genre: Indie Rock
Recommending Person: Chrissy Walker

The Wrens are another in a long list of bands where I just agreed that they were a good band and sort of moved on without a second thought.

I The previous notion I had of The Wrens was that they were is a slow paced harmonic Indie Bands that were plentiful in the 2000s. I was very pleasantly surprised that The Wrens fucking ROCK.

They do have the ability to create layered melodic beautiful songs, but they are out and out a Rock Band. The intensity of every song is evident from the first second onward. The entire album is induces a constant head bop. 

The only issue is that the Wrens will never get big. They lack a big hook that leads to heavy radio play and people really getting behind a band. The closest to a big single they have on The Meadowlands is easily "Hopeless" and that is still a bit clustered in the repetitive nature of big pop songs on terrestrial radio. That doesn't matter, because The Wrens are great, I hope they only become big because people love The Wrens, not a great chorus.

Against Me - Is Reinventing Axl Rose

Label: No Idea Records
Year: 2002
Genre: Punk Rock, Folk Punk
Recommending Person: Joe Szprygada

I didn't listen to Against Me! until 2007 when New Wave came out and Thrash Unreal was conquering Q101. Whenever a band makes me sing the entire song on the radio I always go back and check their previous releases. At that time I went back and enjoyed individual tracks "Pints of Guinness Make You Strong" and "Those Anarcho Punks are Mysterious...".

This album doesn't hit me the same way that New Wave did, but you can clearly see the roots of what I loved about them later in their career. I think this album shows way back in 2002 that Laura Jane Grace, the transgender lead singer, is an incredible ballad writer. My favorite track on the album is "Baby, I'm an Anarchist!" where the softer side of Grace comes through while still staying true to his over the top, to the point of satire, commitment to anarchy.

Much like the Smoking Popes from January, this would have heavily been in my high school rotation and many songs would make my mixes. I mean you can't go against lyrics like this:

“And just like James, I’ll be drinking Irish tonight
and the memory of his last work week will be gone forever
Evelyn I’m not coming home tonight!”

— Pints of Guinness Make You Strong

Joe Szprygada had a lovely recommendation and I thought it would be prudent to put why he loves this album.

“Well the first reason is because you already had The 59 Sound on the calendar, but this one’s been a continuing part of my life for even longer, so let’s go with it. The album itself is over pretty quick, about a half hour total, but there is so much energy packed in there. There are plenty of albums that I’ll sing along every word to, but this one demands that you shout every word and leaves my jaw sore after every listen, without fail. I’m going to try to not chalk up so much nostalgia, but it is absolutely a high school album. While both the band and myself (now in my mid-20s) are likely over having any passionate feelings about anarchy, it still only takes until about halfway through the third track to make me wonder if maybe I should start a band. The title track similarly brings up thoughts of being at a show with your peer music lovers, which is an inseparable part of music, for me. This album finds a way to pack in the energy and lyrics to put you into a showgoing mindset like few others I have heard. If that’s not your thing, at the very least it is some real catchy shout-along folk punk. If you’re looking for some adrenaline on a ~30 minute solo commute, I can think of nothing better.”

— Joe Szprygada

Kendrick Lamar - Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City

Label: Top Dawg, Aftermath, Interscope
Year: 2012
Genre: Hip Hop
Recommending Person: Phillip Henry

Kendrick Lamar is the current hip hop artist that is always pointed to when ignorant people say that Rap is not music and is just 'crap'.

I've always thought that was silly, not because Kendrick Lamar isn't a talented musician, but those people won't look past the fact his biggest single is "Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe". 

I love that Kendrick Lamar has a very unique sound that I imagine in 4 years time we will hear a lot of copies of Kendrick Lamar, with a lot of Reggie Watts-ish backing vocals with unique beats and well thought out lyrics and unconventional hooks. Many of the reviews compare this album to Aquemini or ATLiens from Outkast, but it's just too different for that to be true. I think that it will have a similar impact and I look forward to the next release from Lamar.

Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water

February 14th, 2015
Label: Columbia
Year: 1970
Genre: Folk Rock
Recommending Person: Rose Sherry

This is one of the all time classic albums. It is the final album from the duo of musician Paul Simon and the artist Art Garfunkel.

Everyone loves "Bridge Over Troubled Water", "Cecilia", "The Boxer", and "The Only Living Boy in New York". Besides the hits the album tracks are absolutely fabulous as well.

My question is that when an incredibly popular and successful duo each have solo albums and only one of them remains successful does that lessen the importance of the 'lesser' artist?

I think no, as Art Garfunkel may be one of the most interesting artist in the last 50 years. I think he is infinitely more interesting than Andy Warhol. He was a Mathematics professor, a painter, an Oscar nominated actor, and you know that whole half of one of the best American Acts ever.

Fun Fact: ArtGarfunkel.com leads you to Ugg boots. I think this may detract from my previous statement.

Bleachers - Strange Desire

Label: RCA
Year: 2014
Genre: Indie Pop
Recommending Person: Chris Heck

Jack Antonoff, of Fun. fame as well as the boyfriend of Lena Dunham, went off on his first solo project with Bleachers.

By now everyone has probably heard the first single "I Wanna Get Better". It's one of the strongest songs of the entire album, but it's probably my second favorite. The issue I have with the record is that it's almost a bit too one note. It hits the same melodic beats over and over again. It at least has a distinct sound that separates himself from fun entirely, while still containing the fantastic pop sound that Some Nights had. 

Childish Gambino - Because the Internet

Label: Glassnote
Year: 2013
Genre: Hip Hop
Recommending Person: Daniel Gould

Watch out for 'dat gif'. I was a bit disappointed by this album. I'm a big fan of Donald Glover's earlier albums and I think he is a very talented lyricist, although a bit overhyped because white kids can understand all the lyrics and can somewhat relate to everything that is said by the middle class raised Glover.

I think is the issue because I loved Royalty. That album is a discussion of the first kids of Black Royalty. There is a great interview with Hot 97's Peter Rosenberg where he talks intelligently about what Royalty meant and his beefs within the business. I'll attach that video down below.

I didn't love the beats created for this album and it was a bit too experimental for me. It seemed to effect the flow that I usually love the most in Childish Gambino records.

Weezer - Everything Will Be Alright in the End

Label: Republic
Year: 2014
Genre: Alt Rock
Recommending Person: Greg Fischer

“Adios rock band that we loved the most
This is a toast to what you did
And all that you were fighting for
Who could do more when time marches on?
Words come and go
We will sing the melodies that you did long ago”

— Eulogy for a Rock Band, Weezer

This is vintage Weezer. The song "Eulogy for a Rock Band" is the perfect meta Weezer song. It sounds like Weezer at their peak.  

The whole record is fantastic and is a must listen for any one who has enjoyed Weezer in the past. There are singles that I'm surprised none of them have charted, but there is no EDM remix. 

Sam Hunt - Montevallo

Label: MCA Nashville
Year: 2014
Genre: Country Pop
Recommending Person: Jill Veenhuis

It seems Country has taken the corner from Boy Bands and soul singers about seducing ladies. That's all the Brett Eldredge album from January was about, and it's mostly what Sam Hunt's album is about.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than Eldredge's entry. It is quite a bit more poppy especially the first track, "Take Your Time", which has some influence from recent hip-hop songs. Montevallo is just continuing the trend of Country going pop.